Father's Words
by Aslan'sOnTheMove
Summary: The king of Markovia is dying and he has some last words for Terra.


A/N: I don't own the Teen Titans. All this pretty much belongs to Warner Brothers and DC Comics. Enjoy the story!

 **A Father's Words**

"Your Highness, your father would like to see you."

Terra looked up at the man who spoke to her. He wore a dark grey suit, a black tie, black shoes, and the same concerned and sad expression she wore. She turned to Changeling who sat beside her in the hallway as he gave her hand a light squeeze. Across from her in the hallway sat her brother Geo-Force and sister-in-law Raven. Geo-Force gave her a weak smile and nod before she stood up and followed the man in the grey suit into the room.

The door was shut behind her as she looked into the dimly lit room. In the center of the room was a king-sized bed where an elderly man lay, her father, the king of Markovia. Terra slowly walked to the side of the bed where a chair waited for her to sit. She could feel her father's eyes watching her as she walked across the room until she sat in the chair. Terra avoided eye contact with her father. She didn't want to look into the eyes of the man who betrayed his wife to be with another woman, who gave permission to strangers to give her the power to control earth, the man she had tried so hard to please as a child.

"Tara, look at me," her father begged, his voice weak.

Terra mustered the courage to look at her father. He gave a weak smile as he reached for her hand. Terra looked down and placed her hand in his, focusing on the wrinkled hand that weakly squeezed hers.

"Thank you for coming," he said. "I know it was a long trip, but it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too," Terra said, half-heartedly.

"You're so beautiful," her father sighed. "You look so much like your mother."

The words came as a backhanded compliment to Terra. The queen, Geo-Force's mother, always gave her a look that showed her dislike for Terra even when she wore a sweet smile. It wasn't until years later that the queen admitted that she didn't hate Terra, but her presence and appearance was a constant reminder of her husband's betrayal. Even after Terra learned the queen didn't hate her, she couldn't let go of those years she felt unwanted.

"You've grown into a wonderful woman. I'm sure your mother would be proud." Her father's words snapped Terra out of her train of thought. The king seemed to know Terra was only half listening, but he continued to say his peace. "You married a great man. He's taken better care of you than I ever did. I'm happy for that." Terra looked into her father's eyes. "I'm proud of both of you. You raised two great children who will do much good in the world."

Terra stared at her father, unable to believe he was saying these words. She wanted to speak, but any attempt made her choke up. "I know I wasn't there for them, but tell Kyle and Vanessa that I loved them and that I'm proud of them." Terra gently squeezed her father's hand. A smile came to her father's face. "I'm so proud of you, my daughter. I'm so sorry." The king began to shake as he sobbed in his bed. Terra became alarmed. "I've done you wrong. I'm so sorry!" Tears streamed down his face. She felt tears of her own fall down her face. The king seemed to regain some composure. "Despite what I've done, you've grown into a strong, beautiful, capable woman. I'm proud to call you my daughter. My princess."

She wiped her tears away with her free hand, not once letting go of the other one she held. The king looked up at her and the two made eye contact once more. "I love you, Tara. I always did and I always will. Remember that, please?"

Terra nodded as she gave a small, genuine smile. "I love you too... Dad."

The king smiled, knowing the words and smile were sincere. "I'd like to talk to your husband next." Terra nodded as she stood up and kissed her father's forehead. She gave her father's hand one last gentle squeeze before she let go and let the suited man escort her out of the room.

 **The End**

A/N: Special thanks to my husband for beta-reading this story before I posted it.

This idea came to me as I was working on other stories and playing Internet games. In the comics, Geo-Force and Terra were half-siblings who shared the same father, the king of Markovia. In the Teen Titans show, they never touched on Terra's backstory. It wasn't until the Titans Go comics, based on the show, we got to see Geo-Force and a bit of Terra's backstory. They didn't specify if Geo-Force and Terra were half-siblings or not, but they did mention their father was king of Markovia. There's many fan theories out there, but mine is the king had an affair with Terra's mother and his wife wasn't very fond of Terra living with them. I just hope I told the story well.


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